Jeep Gladiator

Is it a functional pickup truck or is Jeep hoping to sell them based on image alone?

by Perry Mack

March 17, 2019

12:00 AM

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2020 Jeep® Gladiator Overland

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2020 Jeep® Gladiator – interior

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2020 Jeep® Gladiator Rubicon

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2020 Jeep® Gladiator – interior

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2020 Jeep® Gladiator Rubicon

Words by Perry Mack Photos courtesy FCA

After delivering more promises than an unelected politician, Jeep revealed the 2020 Jeep Gladiator pick-up truck at the Los Angeles auto show. And as expected the Gladiator is a knock off of Jeep’s bread and butter - the Wrangler. They’ve set it apart from other mid-size pick-ups with Wrangler like features including removable doors, removable roof and a folding front windscreen.

But it’s not all Wrangler. It has a 31” longer frame and is almost 20” wider to hold up the five-foot bed. The bed size is similar to the short box of a Colorado but the Gladiator doesn’t offer anything larger which means many of your loads are going to carried with tailgate down, and in fact stick out past the tailgate.

Under the hood you get one engine choice for now - the proven 3.6L V-6 Pentastar delivering 285 hp and 260 pound feet of torque, delivering power to either a six speed manual or an optional eight speed automatic, and the promise of a 260 hp 3 L V-6 Ecodiesel in 2020, mated to the eight speed automatic and generating a monster sized 442 pound feet of torque.

Our original fear when the engine options were announced was that the Gladiator would suffer from the anemic towing and payload capacity of the Wrangler. Instead, Jeep promises a 7650 lb towing capacity and 1600 lb payload capacity if you choose the Max Tow Package. These are serious numbers. Jeep is swinging big here with a towing capacity second only to the Colorado, and a payload number second only to the 2019 Ford Ranger.

True to the Jeep heritage the Gladiator does sport some off-road cred with an approach angle of 43.6 degrees, a break-over angle of 20.3 degrees and a departure angle of 26 degrees, with 11.1 inches of ground clearance and the ability to ford streams and ponds up to 76 cm (30 in) deep. These attributes along with the Command Trac 4x4 system, skid plates, and front and rear tow hooks make all trim levels trail worthy.

The Gladiator Rubicon is the star of the show with Dana 44 axles, front and rear axle lockers, a limited slip differential and a sway bar disconnect. Add in the forward facing camera, heavy-duty steel off-road rear bumper and available front steel winch-ready bumper with removable end caps and you have hands down the best spec’d off-road vehicle in the mid-size pick-up market.

Infotainment system and safety features are state of the art and comparable to the other mid-size trucks.

But where the Gladiator does stand out is the over 200 parts and accessories that Mopar has ready for new Gladiator owners. Where all the other brands usually wait for the after-market to design and build the new accessories, Jeep will be ready to outfit new Gladiators with tonneau covers, a spray-in bedliner, lift kits, off-road lights, rock rails and wheels, and much more.

So with all this said about the new Gladiator, why not pre-order one? Because we don’t know how it drives. We still need to get behind the wheel. We suspect that on the road it will not handle as well as the other mid-size pick-ups. The cabin won’t be as quiet or as comfortable. And at higher speed off-road it won’t be as good as a Tacoma TRD Pro and has virtually no hope of being as good as a Colorado ZR2.

Jeep has done a good job of creating a unique mid-size pick-up truck, carrying over the best-loved features of the Wrangler and with it the weighty momentum of the Jeep brand. Depending on pricing, which hasn’t yet been announced, we would be shocked if it did not command a solid portion of the mid-size market.

Check out our YouTube video:

Jeep Gladiator 2020 Compared to Tacoma Colorado Ranger

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